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Oil Dispersant Expert Testimony

What the Officials and Experts Are Saying 

Dispersants are a relatively common product used to clean and control oil spills in the ocean.  They are special fluid chemicals that bond to the oil molecules and separate them from water molecules - thus breaking up the oil.

On a basic level, dispersants work the same way dishwashing liquid works on grease: they break up the oil into tiny droplets by attaching to the oil, which then becomes diluted in the water.

U.S. government responders are using Nalco dispersants to safely and effectively mitigate the impact of the oil spill on the marine environment. And, they have continually asserted that the oil from the spill poses a greater threat to wildlife and vegetation than the chemicals in the dispersants.

For example, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, recently said: “Dispersants reduce impact of oil on shorelines, sensitive habitats, birds, mammals and other wildlife; they allow for the rapid treatment of large areas and they break up the oil into smaller components which allows them to dissipate into the water and degrade more rapidly.”

Other government leaders and energy and environmental experts have also described how dispersants are aiding the Deepwater Horizon cleanup mission. Here is a sampling of recent remarks:

MOST RECENT

Dr. William Lehr, Senior Scientist, Emergency Response Division, NOAA

  • (NEW)“To date, every seafood sample from reopened waters or outside of the closed areas has passed sensory and chemical testing for contamination of oil and dispersant. No unsafe levels of contamination of the seafood have been found.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010

 Donald Kraemer, Deputy Director, Office of Food Safety, FDA

  • (NEW)“To date, all samples have passed sensory testing for oil or dispersants, and the results of all chemical analyses have shown PAH levels to be well below the levels of concern, again, by a factor of 100 to 1,000.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010
  • (NEW)“Finally, with respect to the impact of dispersants used in the Gulf on seafood safety, the current science indicates a low risk that these dispersants will bioconcentrate in seafood and they are, therefore, unlikely to present a food-safety concern.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010
  • (NEW)“Further, NOAA and EPA data confirm that dispersants are not present at detectible levels in the overwhelming number of samples taken -- water samples taken.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010
  • (NEW)“We have looked at each of these components of Corexit and they are all very common household constituents, so they're in things such as lip gloss and toothpaste and in a variety of over-the-counter drugs, so they have been approved for use for consumption by people.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010

Dr. Vicki Seyfert Margolis, Senior Advisor for Science Innovation and Policy, FDA

  • (NEW)“We have been working with NOAA on developing chemical methodologies for the detection of one of the major components of dispersant, which is dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt, or DOS… We have preliminary data to date suggesting that there is not any bioconcentration of DOS in the hepatopancreas or in the muscle tissue.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010

Dr. Paul T. Anastas, Assistant Administrator, EPA

  • (NEW)“Our monitoring data overwhelmingly confirm modeling results that dispersants are not present at levels of detection for our method. For the rare anomaly, we investigate to either confirm or disprove the validity of a detection. To put this in context, of the more than 2,000 NOAA-generated samples and the nearly 1,000 EPA-generated samples, there have been only two detections above the method detection limit.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010
  • (NEW)“While more work needs to be done, we see that the dispersants have worked to help keep oil off of our precious shorelines and away from sensitive coastal ecosystems.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010
  • (NEW)“There have been studies done even by the EPA and its partners. And part of the rationale for applying dispersants is because we have seen rates of degradation increase by as much as 50 percent with the use of the dispersants.” – Hearing, Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, August 19, 2010
  • “So what we're seeing is in our near shore, far away from the shore, deeps that NOAA can speak to, we are seeing none of the components of the active ingredients of the dispersants persisting or bioaccumulating -- certainly not biomagnifying.” Senate Hearing on the use of oil dispersants, August 4, 2010.
  • “When you look at all of the tools to combat this tragedy -- the skimming, the burning, the recovery, the containment -- dispersants have shown to be one important tool in that toolbox in the response.” Senate Hearing on the use of oil dispersants, August 4, 2010.
  • "Results indicate that the eight dispersants tested (including COREXIT 9500) have similar toxicities to one another when mixed with Louisiana Sweet Crude oil." EPA Press Conference, August 2, 2010
  • "Results also indicate that the dispersant-oil mixtures are generally no more toxic to the test species than oil alone." EPA Press Conference, August 2, 2010
  • "We also have fluorescence data that indicate the dispersants are working to keep the oil away from the shore." EPA Press Conference, August 2, 2010
  • "To date, we have not seen dissolved oxygen levels fall below levels of concern to aquatic life." EPA Press Conference, August 2, 2010
  • "We see that the dispersants are working to keep oil off our precious shorelines and away from sensitive coastal ecosystems." EPA Press Conference, August 2, 2010
  • "To date, monitoring data have indicated no dispersant constituents away from the wellhead. EPA monitoring has not found dispersant chemicals in water or sediment near coasts or wetlands." EPA Press Conference, August 2, 2010
  • "One of the purposes of the dispersant is to increase the degradation efficiency that would otherwise take place naturally. What we’ve been seeing is the degradation rates are 50% faster when the dispersants are used." EPA Press Conference, August 2, 2010

David Westerholm, Director, Office of Response and Restoration, NOAA

  • "We also know that effectively dispersed oil will decline more rapidly in concentration than untreated surface or shoreline oil due to ocean mixing and biodegradation." Senate Hearing on the use of oil dispersants, August 4, 2010.
  • “I believe that the application of dispersants, based on what we know about the other methodologies, did prohibit some of the oil from getting to the shoreline.” Senate Hearing on the use of oil dispersants, August 4, 2010.
     

John Lopez, Coastal Sustainability Program Director, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation

  • "We would have seen vastly more oil coming into the marsh if dispersants had not been used." Shreveport Times, August 1, 2010 

Ed Overton, Professor Emeritus, Department of Environmental Science, LSU

  • "I think if anything, the early evidence is that the use of those dispersants saved the shoreline. And that was clearly a good decision.  I and a lot of other people were fairly skeptical at the time. There was so much dispersants used. But, boy, the use of all that dispersant sure does look like a good idea right now.” CNN, July 29, 2010 

Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA

  • "The general comment is that the oil that is beneath the surface as far as we can determine is primarily in the water column itself not sitting on the sea floor. So I think that’s an important mis, distinction to make because I think there’s a lot of misconception that’s out there.” Press Briefing, July 27, 2010 
  • "We know that a significant amount of the oil has disbursed and been biodegraded by naturally occurring bacteria. Bacteria that breaks down oil are naturally abundant in the Gulf of Mexico in large part because of the warm water there and the conditions afforded by nutrients and oxygen availability." Press Briefing, July 27, 2010 
  • "While there’s more analysis to be done to exactly quantify the rate of biodegradation early indications show that the light crude oil is being, is biodegrading quickly. When oil is dispersed into smaller bits from the use of dispersants or by weathering it’s even easier for the bacteria to get to it and to consume it." Press Briefing, July 27, 2010 

Admiral Thad Allen

National Academy of Sciences report, "Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects" (2005)

  • "Recent formulations are much less toxic such that the toxicity associated with dispersed oil droplets is essentially a function of the toxicity of the oil itself." (Page 10) Report
  • "Although mechanical response techniques have the advantage of removing spilled oil from the environment, their ability to do so is somewhat limited. Under ideal conditions, some portion of the spill cannot be recovered and under adverse environmental conditions (e.g. high sea state), the effectiveness of mechanical response can be very low...When mechanical response is unlikely to sufficiently reduce impacts from a spill, the use of alternative response techniques (e.g. dispersant application) is considered." (Page 46) Report
  • "In open, offshore waters, physical mixing processes tend to rapidly dilute a plume of dispersed oil droplets, reducing the potential for significant impacts on organisms in the water column or associated with the seaflloor. The effective use of dispersants, therefore, reduces the threat posed by a surface slick to organisms on the surface or, eventually, nearer to the shore by altering the fate of that oil. As a consequence, a more limited and less robust set of information is needed to support the decision to use dispersants in such offshore conditions." (Pages 48-49) Report

Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, EPA

  • "So far the data show we haven't done any damage and actually we've helped with dispersion and used a lot less of the chemical in the process," NOLA.com, June 27, 2010
  • "This spill is an emergency in every sense of the word, and dispersants are one tool in a situation that could not be more urgent." Facebook, June 23, 2010
  • "Science tells us that dispersants can help protect these invaluable resources by breaking up the oil and speeding its natural degradation offshore. We also know that dispersants, which are less toxic than oil, break down over a period of weeks, rather than remaining for several years as untreated oil might." Facebook, June 23, 2010
  • "We have been closely tracking oxygen and toxicity levels, as well as other indicators to gauge potential impacts of undersea application. We have detected no dispersant compounds in water tested near the shore." Facebook, June 23, 2010
  • "...mobile air monitors taking samples throughout the region have detected only very small amounts of dispersant-related compounds. These amounts are well below anything likely to cause harm to health or the environment. Because of their low concentrations, and the fact that these compounds are common in cleaning products and coatings, it’s difficult to know with certainty whether the small amounts detected are related to the spill. If they are, their presence is very small." Facebook, June 23, 2010
  • "Until we stem the flow of oil, we must continue to take any responsible actions to mitigate the impact of the spill. That is what we are doing." Facebook, June 23, 2010

Jordan Barab, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health

  • “We have been taking samples again, of worker chemical exposures,” said Barab. “Again, on the beaches, in the swamps, on the boats, everywhere that workers are. And I will just let you know, we can discuss this a little more, that we have found no exposure levels to any chemicals that are of any concern.  The main problem we've been seeing down there, the main concern that we've had for worker health and safety has to do with heat. As you know, people are working in very high heat conditions. Very often they are also working with Tyvek suits with chemical protective suits, gloves, which exacerbates the heat problem. We've had a number of incidents that we've had to deal with with heat including some hospitalizations. So we're very concerned about that in conjunction with fatigue problems from the long hours that people are working.”  Press Briefing by National Incident Commander June 23, 2010

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary

  • "I think far and away the most harmful substance that is being emitted into the environment in the Gulf is the oil.” ABC News Political Punch, June 17, 2010 
  • (Speaking about subsea dispersant use) "The point is not to have it accumulate on the surface and allow it to spread either onto beaches or into marshes. At that depth it can biodegrade more quickly, which is exactly what you want the oil to do." ABC News Political Punch, June 17, 2010 

Admiral Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard

  • "We did some video of the oil rigs last week when I was out there and in the background one of the offshore supply vessels was actually spraying water all around the discovery enterprise. That was to put down volatile organic compounds that were coming up out of the oil... There actually is a threat to personal safety and health there on those vapors. Dispersants put those down." Press Conference, June 7, 2010
  • “I can tell you that the EPA has been doing a number of water testings. They’re also doing air quality testing associated with it. So far, they have found no impacts on the wildlife related to the toxicity of the dispersants, but they continue to do that (testing) and we will continue to work very, very closely with EPA on this.” Press Conference, June 3, 2010
  • "Corexit is allowed by use under the schedule approved by EPA for dispersants." Press Conference, June 3, 2010
  • "It’s a very tough issue because this material (COREXIT) is available to us now and it is effective." Press Conference, June 3, 2010
  • "...a legitimate alternative (to COREXIT) has not surfaced yet..." Press Conference, June 3, 2010
  • “...regardless of the relative toxicity of any dispersant, the difference in the toxicity between the dispersants and the oil is in order of magnitude.” White House Press Briefing, May 24, 2010

Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, EPA

Rear Admiral Mary Landry, U.S. Coast Guard

  • “The reality is that there would have been a significant amount of oil reaching the shore, much more than you’re seeing reach the shoreline now, had we not used dispersants. That is evident in this response.”

Coastal Response Research Center

  • “Surface application of dispersants has been demonstrated to be effective for the DWH incident and should continue to be used.” Deepwater Horizon Dispersant Use Meeting Report
  • "The use of chemical dispersants is needed to augment other response options because of a combination of factors for the DWH incident (i.e., continuous, large volume release)."   Deepwater Horizon Dispersant Use Meeting Report
  • "Dispersing the oil reduces surface slicks and shoreline oiling. The use of chemical dispersants enhances the natural dispersion process (e.g., the smaller droplet size enhances potential biodegradation). Dispersing the oil also reduces the amount of waste generated from mechanical containment and recovery, as well as shoreline cleanup." Deepwater Horizon Dispersant Use Meeting Report
  • "Continued dispersant use reduces the threat distance, protects shorelines, likely increases the biodegradation rate of the oil, inhibits formation of emulsions, reduces waste management, and potentially reduces buildup of VOCs in the air." Deepwater Horizon Dispersant Use Meeting Report

Carol Browner, Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy

Bob Perciasepe, Deputy Administrator, EPA

Albert Venosa, EPA, Director, Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division

  • “So we don't know what the long-term effects of exposure of these critters, both phytoplankton as well as the fish that eat them and the fish that eat those, are going to be over the long term. However, had we not done the dispersant treatment, then we've got 15,000 barrels of crude oil coming to the surface and oiling a lot more birds and affecting the wetlands even more.” Congressional hearings for the House Science & Technology Committee, June 9, 2010 

Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA

  • “Dispersants reduce impact of oil on shorelines, sensitive habitats, birds, mammals and other wildlife; they allow for the rapid treatment of large areas and they break up the oil into smaller components which allows them to dissipate into the water and degrade more rapidly.” Deepwater Horizon Response Teleconference, May 12, 2010
  • “Dispersant use is one of the several tools that may be employed individually or in combination to minimize consequences of an oil spill. Their use is a trade-off decision based on a belief that if used properly they would result in less overall environmental impact.”Deepwater Horizon Response Teleconference, May 12, 2010

Charlie Henry, Scientific Support Coordinator

STATE GOVERNMENT

Jeff Dauzat, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

  • "The (fish, shellfish, water and sediment) samples have shown no contaminated tissue.  We feel they are safe (to eat),” ESPN.com
  • "The majority of the volatile organisms have long burned off, so the initial toxicity is significantly lower than when it popped to the surface. That oil has been floating around out there for a month, so the toxicity is much less than if (the spill) had happened inshore." ESPN.com
  • "The samples within the plume (of dispersed oil) indicate the contaminants within the plumes are below the Louisiana RECAP (Risk Evaluation/Corrective Action Program) standards for drinking water. If it were not saltwater, it would be safe to drink. The saltwater would be more toxic than the dispersed oil." ESPN.com

ACADEMICS

Dr. Christopher Reddy, Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

  • "...you have to think about this oil coming out of this wellhead and it's pretty violent and so it's breaking up some portion of them into small droplets which I think is the source of these subsurface plumes.” Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Committee on Energy and Commerce, June 10, 2010 
  • “To communicate my views on dispersants, I would like to comment on the executive summary of the recently released “Deepwater Horizon Dispersant Use Meeting Report,” which was the result of a two-day meeting on May 26 and 27, 2010 of over 50 experts from academia, the Federal government, Environment Canada, industry, and nongovernmental organizations. Among their conclusions were:

    ‘It is the consensus of this group that up to this point, use of dispersants and the effects of dispersing oil into the water column has generally been less environmentally harmful than allowing the oil to migrate on the surface into the sensitive wetlands and near shore coastal habitats.’

    After reviewing this report, I tend to agree with this finding. I am considerably more comfortable about the usage of dispersants on the surface, where 700,000 gallons have been used and it is easier to monitor.” Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment Committee on Energy and Commerce, June 10, 2010 

Luann White, Director, Tulane Center for Applied Environmental Public Health

  • “It’s not the dispersants that cause the ecological effects — it’s the oil that’s toxic.  None of these dispersants is so innately toxic -- once you use them out in the Gulf, they’re not going to cause toxic effects in and of themselves.” Tulane University, June 2, 2010
  • “The quantities used so far have been spread over 40 days and over a wide area, so the concentrations in the water are not that high.  It doesn’t bio accumulate, and that’s what we’re always afraid of in assessing the long-term effects.” Tulane University, June 2, 2010
  • “I don’t care which one (dispersant) is used as long as it’s effective in minimizing the amount of oil that reaches the wetlands and doesn’t break down into harmful products. What I would hate to do is take an established tool away from people who fight oil spills. Could it be used inappropriately? Absolutely. Is it being used inappropriately right now? I haven’t seen that yet.” Tulane University, June 2, 2010

Nancy Kinner,  co–director of the Coastal Response Research Center, University of New Hampshire 

  • “It is the consensus of the group that up to this point, use of dispersants and the effects of dispersing oil into the water column has generally been less environmentally harmful than allowing the oil to migrate on the surface into the sensitive wetlands and near shore coastal habitats,”

Eric Adams,  Senior Research Engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  • "If they're not going to be able to contain it, confine it, and they haven't yet been able to stop the flow, then maybe continuing to disperse it is the best thing," 

Prof. Peter Hodson, Queens University

  • "The dispersant itself is among the least toxic of the dispersants that are approved for use."CNN, May 22, 2010

Kerry St. Pe, executive director of the Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program

James N. Butler, a professor emeritus of applied chemistry at Harvard University

Eric Smith, associate director of the Tulane Energy Institute, oil & gas marketing analyst

James Wilson, University of Miami chemistry

INDUSTRY

Doug Suttles, BP’s chief operating officer for exploration and production